9 new musicians to soundtrack fall 2023

Hello darkness my old friend. As the nights begin to draw in, and the number of PSL days left grows smaller and smaller, seasonal affective disorder is truly in the air. So, if Christmas isn’t the light at the end of your tunnel, perhaps a healthy dose of new music — for Q4! — is the balm to your end-of-summertime-sadness.

Maybe you’re still hung up on Ethel Cain’s debut album (fair), or have Isabella Lovestory’s reggaeton pop on repeat (again, we don’t blame you) but still, a gentle refresh to the soundtrack to your daily life never hurts. May we suggest: New York glitchcore served up by model siblings, Australian techno with a heady dose of drill, or theatrical queer Norwegian pop?

Nia Archives 

If you attended Glastonbury, Notting Hill Carnival or basically anything fun this summer, chances are you will have heard Nia Archives. The London-based Northerner — crowned “producer of the year” at the NME Awards — seemed to be dancing behind the decks to her own “lo-fi jungle for introverted extroverts” all over place. Following up her Forbidden Feelingz EP, for Nia’s latest single “Baianá”, not only did she sample a traditional Brazilian choir, she also headed over there to shoot the above video. Press play for instant euphoria. 

MEYY

Searching for a new R&B girly with a killer aesthetic, near-whispered vocals and nerdy 3D digital art for visuals? Introducing MEYY, a rising star from Belgium who is currently based in London. The singer, songwriter, producer and dancer’s latest EP Neon Angel – featuring French artist Joanna and Londoner Jelani Blackman – is well worth a listen. European fans can catch MEYY live on tour with Oscar and the Wolf through October and November.

Blondshell

Fans of queer alt-rock listen up: New Yorker Sabrina Teitelbaum aka Blondshell might just be your next obsession. After her first two singles, “Olympus” and “Kiss City”, blew up, Blondshell is back with the charmingly-titled “Sepsis”. The song sprung from the artist’s fixation with Hole’s “Doll Parts”, inspiring her to channel her fury into something angry but cathartic. “I wanted to give myself permission to be as dramatic as possible and say aloud that I’m afraid bad feelings might actually kill me.” Watch her perform and tell me you’re not transported directly to a grungy mid-90s gig.

Frost Children

New York-based siblings Lulu and Angel are everywhere: in the latest Heaven by Marc Jacobs campaign; modelling for Miu Miu; performing alongside Dorian Electra at Collina Strada’s NYFW show; spreading their glitchy hyperpop goodness all over your Spotify playlists. If you’re feeling sluggish with the change of seasons, this is just the thing to blow away the cobwebs and hit the reset button.

Skin on Skin

Incorporating UK drill vocals with techno, Australian producer Skin on Skin has created an exciting new best-of-both-worlds sound that we can’t get enough of. It was his incendiary AVA Boiler Room set this summer that really got all eyes on him, playing banger after unreleased banger. The highlight? “Burn Dem Bridges”, which samples Sav’o and Horrid1’s “Violent Siblings” and leaves dance culture questioning everything.

Erin LeCount

Every now and then, a young talent comes along and ever so quietly and politely disarms you. 19-year-old Erin LeCount, a singer-songwriter and producer from Essex, does just that. Inspired by the likes of Fiona Apple and Lorde, her diaristic lyrics on debut single “Killing Time” feel like a candid conversation with a close friend, while the track’s undulating sub-bass will hit you right in the chest. I’m sat.

Hyd

Who remembers QT, the PC Music star with their own canned energy drink and infuriatingly catchy eponymous single? Well, that was performance artist Hayden Dunham. Now going by Hyd, they released their debut single “So Clear” this summer — co-produced by the late SOPHIE no less — and went on to soundtrack the Courreges show (the one with the sandy void) with the above Caroline Polachek-produced number, “Afar”. Catch them live in London next February.

Metteson

A favourite of the Norwegian Royals (for real – he was booked to perform at Oslo’s palace for Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s 18th birthday party), this blonde Adonis makes theatrical queer pop with a star-shaped hat on top. Somebody recently called Metteson’s music “melancholy but dancing through it” and we couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

Montell Fish

After the success of his debut album, JAMIE, earned him spots performing on late night TV, a headline US tour and an obscene amount of Spotify plays, New York artist Montell Fish pushes his soulful, genre-blending sound to its next phase. His new single “Hotel”, he explains, represents a post-break-up anger, switching the ambient heart-hurt guitars of previous songs for dark, droning bass and a rock guitar solo. We’re here for Montell — whatever stage of break-up grief he’s in.